


Comforts of Home

by econator



Series: Sweet Macaron [6]
Category: Formula E RPF, Motorsport RPF, Political RPF - France 21st c.
Genre: Angst and Feels, Beards (Facial Hair), Blackmail, Internet Security, M/M, Porn Bots, Sleepovers, mentions of Justin Trudeau, street art
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-22 17:02:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/econator/pseuds/econator
Summary: Manu's angst keeps him up all night. Good thing he has a racer to comfort him





	Comforts of Home

Manu was still awake when Jev crawled into bed between his trip to Canada and leaving for the Extreme E announcement. He wished he could claim he was awake because he was excited for his sometimes lover's career milestones. The problem with the porn bots weighed more heavily than he had imagined it would after seeing that on the meeting agenda. It wasn't their existence, although that was shitty enough to deal with while browsing, but the chilling software trend that his security team had briefed him on earlier that day. He allowed himself one more moment of wistful longing for the relative peace of civilian life before he rolled onto his back, stretching his arm out towards Jev.

'Good flight?' he said, trying to sound sleepy. He knew he was miserably failing to sound sleepy, but hoped the young racer wouldn't push it.

'Hmm.' Jev kissed his cheek before curling up with his head on his chest. 'Good day at the office?'

'Hmm.' It was the best he could manage without letting national secrets spill out as anxious babbling. He stroked Jev's forearm as it lay across his belly. 'Babe, can I have the camera and mic on your devices disconnected?'

'Why? What will I take photos with? How can I make calls if my phone doesn't have a mic?'

'You can use a headset to call and one of your collection of goddamn Leicas to take photos. Use a webcam from the nineties that clips onto your screen. I don't care. Can I please just protect us from...' Manu closed his mouth, letting the remainder of his breath out through his nose. 'Sorry. I've been in my head for a while.'

Jev propped himself up on his elbow.

'Your work day went that well, huh?'

'Yeah. Lots to think about on the security front. Brigitte is up north with her oncology team, and I didn't want to think about...what could potentially come of that.'

'You want to keep me safe from some kind of stalkers?'

What he wanted was to keep himself safe from someone patching together another video by hijacking the mics of every phone in the vicinity of his library hand job, and using AI to make a video like the one that could go public at any point, ruining both his public reputation and his marriage. He especially didn't want a video with the filthy dirty talk that he shared with Jev that Justin was too polite and proper for, the one saving grace of having been caught fooling around with the Canadian instead of his racing driver. But yeah, he could pass it off as protecting Jev. Maybe security. State secrets. Some reason to keep it hidden, like everything else in his life right now, in its weird overcomplicated way.

'No. Yeah. It's complicated.'

Jev leaned in and softly kissed Manu, his beard feeling extra soft and fluffy against his chin.

'Would you like me to uncomplicate it?'

'Is your phone downstairs?'

'Yeah.' Jev drawled the single syllable like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 'We've been doing this for almost a year. You think I haven't learned to leave it downstairs in the box like a spy from the 1970s?'

Manu exhaled.

'Sorry. Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to have you.'

'Can you talk about it to me? If the security clearance you got me for our Green France projects cover it, would it feel better to have it out? This thing from your meeting earlier that's kept you up until three in the morning, I mean.'

'It probably isn't covered by your clearance, but it would feel better to have it out in the open to someone other than my security team.'

'Russia and Iran have formed an alliance and are going to blow us up?' Jev said in the voice he used to play around and cheer Manu up.

Manu chuckled, more to acknowledge Jev was trying to lighten the mood than anything else.

'No. I didn't realise my phone was hacked while I was in Canada on my first visit. Our phones were hacked. Everyone who was standing within earshot was hacked.'

'You had dirty pictures on your phone and now someone's blackmailing you?' Jev sounded confused.

'I hooked up with Justin in the basement of the library, and someone stitched a video together from the sound clips, publicly available photos, and some AI video software. Apparently someone was close enough to hack our phone mics capture the audio of our naughty library hand job. Now they're blackmailing Justin over it. Have been for months.'

Jev blew his breath out in a faint whistle. He flopped back onto the pillow next to Manu and interlaced their fingers, running his thumb over the back of his hand.

'I can't decide if that's worse for the world than my joking suggestion.'

'Probably. You know Justin struggles to say no, even when he isn't being blackmailed.'

Jev chuckled.

'Yeah. Remember him after the D-Day party we had at the bar when you got home from Normandy?'

'Yes, that's exactly what I mean. He's not a complete liability like Don is, but he's compromised enough that it could end badly for us all.'

'So me painting the Biarritz lighthouse where he was likely to see it in Toronto was an ineffective idea?'

Manu turned to look at Jev squeezing his hand.

'You broke the law for me?'

'I can't tell if you're impressed or low-key outraged,' Jev said, rolling onto his side to stroke the sensitive skin on the inside of Manu's elbow and forearm.

'Both, I think. Why did you do that? Break the law, I mean. You could've made a photo of the lighthouse and sent it to him directly. He would've understood your point.'

'Anonymity while I made my point and gave him reminder of the dangerous rocks just under the surface of the water where he's sailing. A way of rebelling against tradition. A way to bond with my new Canadian artist friend.'

'And you're sure you didn't get caught on camera?'

'That new Canadian artist friend has done street art before. He knew how to stay away from the authorities' eye.'

Manu ran his thumb over the back of Jev's hand.

'Then I'm impressed. And a bit turned on that I'm in bed with a criminal.'

Jev chuckled as he nuzzled his face in Manu's neck, his beard tickling the sensitive skin.

'About that distraction...' He scraped his teeth over Manu's ear, sending tingles through his body. 'Since you're secretly a little turned on that I'm a criminal, I have a few hours to spend wisely before I leave for London.'

'Mmm.' Manu ran his hands through Jev's hair. He finally felt like the missing puzzle piece had returned and he could relax. 'Should we get security to sweep the room again, just to be safe?'

Jev stroked the hair on Manu's tummy.

'I think they swept it earlier. You can relax.'

'How do you know? You just came in from Canada. You didn't see them do it, and you don't know that someone hasn't snuck in to plant a bug in here.'

Manu realised he'd let his paranoid voice come out of his mouth. Jev kissed Manu tenderly. He stroked his chest while pressing soft kisses against his mouth until Manu relaxed and opened his mouth to accept the embrace. Manu rolled onto his side, letting himself be pulled into Jev's arms. Jev caressed his cheek.

'I trust your security people to keep you safe. The video you're worried about wasn't recorded in your bedroom. Nobody's here who doesn't already know we've been together since the auto show last year.' He gently kissed Manu's lips. 'So be with me now. I closed the door behind me. Let the scary world stay outside our bedroom.'

Manu stroked Jev's back as he buried his face in his neck, relishing the tickle of his beard against his cheek.

'Kiss me while we make love.'

'Oh? Tonight we're making love, not just fucking quickly?'

'You said you had a few hours.'

Jev rolled Manu onto his back, parting his legs with his knee. He kissed him in the hungry way that always left him breathless. Manu moaned into his mouth. He canted his hips against Jev's, enjoying the younger man's caresses. Jev slid his hand under Manu and squeezed his arse.

'This sweet peach is mine to eat tonight.'

'Yes please,' Manu moaned.

He rested his head against Jev's chest as they sat on the balcony, enjoying their post-coital smoke as the sun rose over the city. He slid his hand inside the sleeve of Jev's fluffy bathrobe and stroked the sensitive skin of his elbow crease. Jev kissed him tenderly.

'Do you feel more relaxed now?'

Manu nodded before taking a long drag.

'I think I needed to be touched and held. It's been too long.'

'Do you want to talk about Brigitte's shoulder replacement and chemo?'

'Not really. The thought that it might not work, that I might end my presidency publicly single is too heavy for me to bear right now.'

Jev squeezed his shoulder, flicking the ash over the balcony into the garden.

'You're really impressed that I painted the lighthouse for Justin?'

'I appreciate you using your creativity and innovation in the service of France's ecological interests.'

'In the service of the environment generally. If I'm world champion, I can't just think about France's interests.'

Manu lay his cigarette on the lip of the ashtray, and pulled Jev into a languorous kiss.

'Mmm, Mr President,' Jev said when their lips parted. 'If you keep kissing and touching me like this, I might need to carry you inside for another round of love-making before I go to London.'

Manu chuckled as he picked up his smoke and reclined against Jev. 'I don't think I could get it up again right now. After staying up all night, half of it worrying and half of it with you, I'm too tired to go again.' He paused, his mind already skipping through everything on his day's to-do list. 'I'm going to be wrecked for my meetings today.'

'Wrecked, but satisfied.'

Manu lay back against Jev's chest. He reached his free hand back, playing his fingers through Jev's hair.

'Very satisfied, my vanquisher.'

**Author's Note:**

> I'm making up the bit about Brigitte having cancer, not because I wish her ill, but because how shit would Jair Bolsonaro and that Brazilian minister feel for saying she looked ugly, if they later found out she was having hardcore chemo when they were slagging her off on Facebook? Also, that face lift surgery she had before the trip to Fort Bregnançon shouldn't have resulted in needing her arm in a sling. I'm not a doctor or anything, but I'm pretty sure patients' arms aren't normally involved in face-lifts.


End file.
